Plants that grow indoors and outdoors

When I’m visited by gardeners from Northern states, they’re often amazed by the plants we can cultivate in our landscapes. It’s common for them to excitedly point out spider plants, Boston ferns, cast iron plants and corn plants — and then explain that they’re treasured houseplants back in Massachusetts or Michigan.

Of course any plant that functions as a houseplant in the North can do so here as well, but we in Central Florida have an incredible range of species we can grow both indoors and outdoors. Indeed, the number of plants that are shifted to the garden after they outgrow their niches in living rooms and on kitchen windowsills must be astronomical.

And — surprisingly — they include trees. The most common trees that go from the parlor to the landscape are ficus such as benjamin fig, fiddleleaf fig and rubber tree. The fiddleleaf features large, distinctively shaped foliage, while a rubber tree adds year-round color to the garden if it’s a variety with red variegation. Yet another tree that often makes the transition from sturdy houseplant to the great outdoors is Norfolk Island pine.

Among shrubby species, the list of houseplants suitable for life in the landscape is extensive and includes ti plant, lady palm, ‘Tricolor’ and red-edged dracaenas, hedge cactus, and small varieties of crown-of-thorns.

A shrub that warrants space both indoors and out but is rarely seen here is Chinese perfume plant (Aglaia odorata). This gem is native to much of Southeast Asia, where it grows up to 20 feet tall and, for most of the year, produces small, yellow, fragrant blossoms. A tough, upright-growing plant that tolerates indoor conditions and blooms reliably, Chinese perfume plant requires light or moderate shade in the landscape. Because of its tropical origins, install outdoor specimens in locations shielded from north and northwest winds. Small plants are available online.

As you’d likely surmise, the houseplants that make the journey to the garden most frequently are herbaceous perennials such as Boston fern, evergreen varieties of garden amaryllis, species and varieties of Kalanchoe and vines like arrowhead, pothos and heartleaf philodendrons. Other indoor plants commonly exiled to the yard — where they flourish — include Swedish ivy, English ivy, clivia and even bromeliads such as Cryptanthus, silver vase and small species of Tillandsia. Among these, the best are Tillandsia ionantha, funckiana and stricta. They’re cold hardy, and they bloom readily and thrive indoors and outdoors in light shade.

Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate’s degree in horticulture and is a member of Garden Writers Association of America.